The Incredible String Band
Album: Wee Tam And The Big Huge
Label: BGO
Tracks: 18
Website: http://www.bgo-records.com/

For those who are not familiar with them, The Incredible String Band were at the epicentre of the British Counterculture (the hippy movement, to those not in the know) in the mid to late 1960s. The genesis of the band was Robin Williamson and Clive Palmers performances as a traditional folk duo at Archie Fisher's folk nights at The Crown Bar in Edinburgh. When they were spotted by Joe Boyd, Williamson and Palmer decided to fill out their sound by adding guitarist Mike Heron and The Incredible String Band was born. The original lineup broke up in May 1966 after recording one album but Williamson and Heron reformed as a duo in the November of that year. The second incarnation of the band, with various lineup changes around the core of Williamson and Heron, continued to record and perform until an acrimonious split in October 1974.

Which brings us to Wee Tam And The Big Huge. Originally released in November 1968, this album came out at a time when the band were at the height of their powers, able to fill venues such as The Royal Albert Hall and The Royal Festival Hall in the UK as well as the likes of the Fillmore Auditoriums in San Francisco and New York, in Europe Wee Tam And The Big Huge was released as both a double album and as two single albums. In the states it was only available in the two single album format. This reissued CD version keeps with the original by coming as a double CD issue with Wee Tam on one disc and The Big Huge on the other.

Widely regarded as one of Williamson and Heron's best work, Wee Tam And The Big Huge is very much an album on its time. Right from the start you are immersed in the psychedelic sounds and themes of the British Counterculture of the late 1960s.

The album was written just after the band returned from the United States and the influences picked up on that tour are evident on tracks such as Mike Heron's Old Time Country infused Log Cabin Home In The Sky. Elsewhere, the band's place in the psychedelic scene comes through with sounds and motifs that wouldn't sound out of place on an early Pink Floyd release. On other occasions you can pick out themes that are reminiscent of Led Zeppelin. Not surprising, perhaps given the fact that Robert Plant has frequently cited the Incredible String Band as a major influence

Even though each played a significant role in the arrangement of the others songs, the two different lyrical styles come through with Mike Heron's songs tending towards more simplistic celebrations of the natural world and Robin Williamson producing more complex works that draw on religious and mythological themes.

Wee Tam And The Big Huge is widely regarded as one of The Incredible String Band's finest works and, having listened to this album repeatedly now I can see why. Both Mike Heron and Robin Williamson are at the height of their powers both as composers and musicians with no less than 15 different types of instrument making at least one appearance on the album, it could also be argued that the music produced by Williamson and Heron during this period laid the foundations for the interest in what would later become known as World music.

If you don't have an Incredible String Band release in your collection, you won't go too far wrong by adding Wee Tam and The Big Huge. If nothing else, the band that influenced the likes of Led Zeppelin, Donovan, Marc Bolan and Syd Barrett and could count The Beatles amongst their fans has got to be worth investigating further.

By the way, in case you're wondering where the album title comes from, Heron and Williamson knew someone in Edinburgh called Wee Tam and they also used to see a man with a "big, huge dog". So now you know !

David Chamberlain